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Duquesne University
Classical Mythology
CLSX 123C-01
Fall 2008
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Tuesday and Thursday, 12:15-1:30
611 Fisher Hall |
Course Objectives: This course, part of the Litterae learning community, is an introduction to classical mythology through the literature of ancient Greece and Rome. Through readings of selected texts from the 8th century B.C. to the 1st century A.D., we will consider how classical myths express the societal values, hopes, fears, and prejudices of the cultures that produced them. After examining some modern theories about the meaning of myth and the relationship between myth and literature, we will explore what classical mythology communicates about the creation of the universe, divine and human interaction, heroism, erotic love, gender differences, violence, and death. Particular attention will be given to the representation of male heroism in accounts of the Trojan War, and to the representation of women in tragic and epic literature. We will also be considering how the characters and events of Classical Mythology have been represented in art from antiquity to the present.
No prerequisites exist for the course.
Textbooks: Click the links to view/order the textbooks
- Homers' The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Classics, NY, 1998, ISBN: 0-14-027536-3
- Euripides' Medea, translated by Michael Collier. Oxford University Press, 2006, ISBN: 0-19-514565-8
- Grene, Greek Tragedies, V .1. University of Chicago Press , 2 nd edition 1992, ISBN: 0-2-2630790-9
- Euripides, Bacchae, translated by Paul Woodruff. ISBN: 0-87220-392-1. Hackett Publishing 1998.
- Hesiods' Poems of Hesiod, Introduction by R. M. Frazer, University of Oklahoma Press, May 1983. ISBN: 0-8061-1846-6
- Ovids' Metamorphoses, translated by Melville. Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN: 0-19-283472-X
- Vergils' Aeneid, translated by Robert Fitzgerald. Knopf Publishing Group (Vintage) June 1990. ISBN: 0-679-72952-6
While some of these texts will be read in full, we will be reading excerpted selections of others.
Evaluation:
- 10% Quizzes, Attendance, and Participation
- 20% Journal
- You will asked to keep a journal where you document your thoughts about assigned readings and class discussions. Sometimes you will be assigned a topic for your journal entry and sometimes you will be free to choose a topic. Although most of your journaling will be done outside of class, there will be occasional class time allotted for this activity. You will be asked to submit your journal several times throughout the semester for evaluation.
- 20% Midterm Exam
- 30% Final Exam
- The Midterm and Final Exams will consist of multiple choice, short answer, textual identification, and short essay questions. The final exam will be cumulative, but it will be significantly weighted toward the material covered after the midterm.
- 20 % Final Project: Mythological Metamorphosis
- For the final project, you will re-write an ancient myth of your choice. You may make alterations in characters, setting, plot, or format of this myth, and will write a brief essay about the choices you make in your re-interpretation. On the last day of class, you will be asked to present your projects to your classmates. We will discuss this project in more detail later in the semester. A written proposal describing your intended project will be due in advance of the due date. This proposal will count for 5% of your final project grade.
Some Requirements and Suggestions: This is a literature course in Classical Mythology. It is therefore paramount that you come to class having read the assigned text, having taken time to reflect on the material and to write about it in your journal (see above under “Evaluation”). Many of these texts are challenging and cannot simply be “skimmed;” indeed, some of them are best read more than once. Moreover, the reading assignments are sometimes lengthy, so plan accordingly. You should allot 2-3 hours of preparation time outside of class for every hour spent in class: that is, about 6 hours per week. In order to succeed in this course, you should come to class fully prepared to participate in discussions, ask questions, and benefit from lectures. This means that before each class, you should have carefully read the assigned text, looked up words unfamiliar to you, and spent at least 15 minutes writing in your journal. Exams will cover material from both lectures and assigned texts. Occasionally, there will be quizzes at the beginning of class. Students will not be permitted to make up missed quizzes.
Blackboard: Blackboard will be an important resource for this course, and you should consult it often. There you will find important announcements and all important course documents. These documents will range from this syllabus to study guides and rubrics for your final project.
Email Policy: I am happy to correspond with you via email about matters of mythology and the course in general. I do, however, expect you to follow proper email decorum. When you email me, please make the purpose of your communication clear in the subject line, identify yourself and the course in which you are enrolled in the body of your letter. Please do not expect an immediate response. I read all emails sent to me, but may not respond for a few days, or at all if no response is required. I do not accept assignments over email unless I have agreed to do so in advance. If you are absent from class, do not email me asking for what you missed. Instead, make arrangements to photocopy the notes of one of your classmates, and come to my office hours to discuss the material we covered in class. There are many subjects better discussed in person rather than over email. I am happy to set up a personal meeting should these subjects arise.
Final Exam: The final examination will be held in the regularly assigned classroom and accordingly to the final exam schedule published by the University. According to that schedule, the final for Clsx 123C-01 will be on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 from 1:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Departmental Policies:
- Academic Integrity: Each student's grade should reflect only that student's achievement. Thus cheating, plagiarism, assisting or allowing someone else to violate academic honesty are each grounds for receiving a grade of "F" for the course. The Department of Classics adheres to the University policy for Academic Integrity found in the current Student Handbook. For a complete copy of the Student Handbook, go to www.duq.edu/frontpages/main/handbook.html.
- Office Hours: The professor is available for individual help during posted office hours or by appointment.
- Attendance: Missed classes may number no more than twice the credits per semester (including excused absences). Excessive absence may result in automatic failure.
- Make ups: A student may not take makeup quizzes or tests without previously submitting to the instructor a written official, verifiable excuse.
- Final Grades: A(4.0), B(3.0), C(2.0), D(1.0) or F(0). There will be no plus/minus grades assigned for final grades.
- Physical Limitations: Any student who feels that, due to physical disabilities, psychological disabilities, or learning disabilities, special assistance may be required to complete the course successfully MUST both a) be registered with the Duquesne University Office of Special Student Services for the disability, and b) inform the instructor by the third hour of the class meeting. Disabilities which are not substantiated by the Duquesne University Office of Special Student Services or which are made known later than the third hour of class meeting may render ineffectual the provision of assistance required to complete the course successfully.
No class: Monday, September 1, 2008 (Holiday: Labor Day); Monday—Friday, November 24 —28, 2008 (Holiday: Thanksgiving); Monday, December 8, 2008 (Holy Day: Immaculate Conception)
Note: TUESDAY, December 9, 2008 classes meet according to MONDAY class schedule.
Final Examinations: Wednesday - Tuesday, December 11—17, 2008
http://www.classics.duq.edu/Fall/clssx123C_sn.html
Last Revision:
01-Jul-2008